TORONTO, September 23, 2026 – Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood held the official unveiling of Foon Hay Lum Lane on September 23, honouring the life of Chinese Canadian Foon Hay Lum and her role in the Chinese Canadian redress movement.
The unveiling ceremony took place at Spencer Avenue and Foon Hay Lum Lane. Helen Lee, granddaughter of Foon Hay Lum, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, and Dr. Joseph Y. K. Wong, C.M., Founder and Chair Emeritus of Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care, attended and delivered remarks.
The public lane runs south of King Street West between Cowan Avenue and Spencer Avenue. Toronto and East York Community Council approved the name Foon Hay Lum Lane on April 30, 2026. The location has a direct connection to the Lum family’s life in Parkdale, where Foon Hay Lum lived on Cowan Avenue and worked at Bing’s Restaurant at 1312 King Street West.
Foon Hay Lum’s life was deeply shaped by Canada’s early discriminatory immigration policies toward Chinese people. She married Nam “Jack” Lum, who came to Canada as a teenager and was required to pay the $500 Chinese Head Tax. The Chinese Head Tax and the Chinese Exclusion Act kept the couple separated for decades.
While waiting in China, Foon Hay Lum raised their children through war, famine, political unrest and the Japanese occupation. She and her two children were finally able to immigrate to Canada in 1958, reuniting with her husband in Toronto when she was 50.
Mayor Olivia Chow said Canada should not forget the Chinese Exclusion Act, which was in effect from 1923 to 1947, nor the $500 Head Tax imposed on Chinese immigrants before that period. She described that history as a dark chapter in Canada’s racist immigration policies and said remembering it is important to prevent similar injustices from happening again. Chow also said Foon Hay Lum’s life reflected perseverance in the face of hardship and action in pursuit of justice.
At the ceremony, Helen Lee recalled that her family had lived in Parkdale for decades and that her grandmother’s former home was only a short distance from the newly named lane. She said the location made the commemoration especially meaningful for the family.
Lee also spoke about the years of separation between her grandparents. During that time, her grandfather regularly wrote letters from Canada and sent money and parcels home. When Foon Hay Lum arrived in Canada in 1958, the couple had not seen each other for many years. Lee said her grandmother started a new life in a country where she did not speak the language, and later built deep roots in Parkdale.
In her later years, Foon Hay Lum became involved in the Chinese Canadian redress movement, seeking recognition and justice for the Head Tax and the Chinese Exclusion Act. At age 98, she travelled to Ottawa with her family to witness the federal apology on June 22, 2006, with four generations of her family present in the House of Commons.
Lee said it was significant for the family that her grandmother was able to witness the apology in person, as many Head Tax payers and their spouses had already died by then. She said her grandmother cared about community issues and continued to speak up for historical justice.
Dr. Joseph Y. K. Wong reflected on the long campaign for redress by Chinese Canadians. He said past immigration restrictions left many Chinese men unable to reunite with their wives and children for many years, creating a history of prolonged family separation in early Chinese Canadian communities. He also recalled the role of the Chinese Canadian National Council in advocating for Head Tax payers and their families before the federal government’s formal apology in 2006.
Foon Hay Lum continued living independently in her Parkdale home for decades. She entered long-term care at age 107 and died in 2020 at age 111.
The lane-naming initiative was championed by Helen Lee as part of a broader effort to ensure that her grandmother is remembered not only for her longevity, but also for her courage, family story and contribution to the movement for recognition and redress.
Lee said she hopes people who pass by Foon Hay Lum Lane will see her grandmother’s name and learn more about her story, as well as the family separation and immigration discrimination experienced by early Chinese Canadians. She also said the lane is a way to remember the contributions earlier generations made to Canadian society.
Foon Hay Lum’s story is also featured in the documentary Exclusion: Beyond the Silence, which examines the human consequences of the Chinese Exclusion Act and follows descendants working to preserve their families’ experiences.
（LJI by Yuanyuan）
